1989 Sherwood Blizzard?

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

Shovelshort

Registered
Messages
13
Reaction score
10
Location
Ohio
# of dives
50 - 99
I want to be the educated diver that knows everything about the gear he is using.

I just got back into diving a couple of years ago. I inherited my Father’s gear about 12 years ago after he passed away and I was just sitting on it. His, now my regs are Sherwood that I had my LDS service/rebuild last year simply because they have sat for 12 years and I do not know their history with my Father. Knowing him he kept up on them as everything looks brand new. I can check his dive book to see how many dives are on them possibly. I used them for a week of diving in the Keys last February without any issues at all.

I would just like to know exactly what I have. I do have my Father’s warranty cards from Sherwood dated 6/89. There are two cards and I am guessing the one is for the regulators and the other the 1st stage? The model numbers on the cards are SR-3207PRH and SRB-3200. From what I have researched the 3200 is possibly one or both regulators and they are the Blizzard? They look identical only one has an orange face and the other a red. The orange is labeled HTR on the decal and it is on the longer hose. Decal on the red is missing and it has an exhaust diffuser on it that the octo does not have.

I read on here from some really old posts that the old Sherwoods are work horses that also do well in cold water. Can anyone tell me more about what I have? Are my couple assumptions correct? Are the 2 regulators the same model? I ask because I want to switch the diffuser to the orange and put the red on a necklace as the secondary. I want to be sure that my primary is better or equal in quality. I can find nothing on SR-3207PRH, but I did find this Sherwood srb3200
 
I believe SRB3200 refers to a complete Blizzard reg set. Sherwood reused names and model numbers for slightly different regs so there is lots of room for confusion. Post some pics of what you have.

You found a service bulletin for an older model. Does your reg look like that or this:
Sherwood SRB3200 User Manual - Page 1 of 28

Check the faceplates on the second stages to compare.

Your second stages are likely mostly identical to each other except for a few minor items: exhaust valve, roller ball on the lever and heat fins. spin the cover off and look.

Even though it was serviced it will be worthwhile to verify that the bleed valve still works. Some LDS do not service these regs properly.
 
Even though it was serviced it will be worthwhile to verify that the bleed valve still works. Some LDS do not service these regs properly.
^--- This

Take your regs and put them on a tank in the bathtub. Hold a shot glass over the little black mushroom valve in the side of the first stage. It should bubble about 20 cc per minute. It's not a leak. It's how this novel design keeps things dry inside. But it's not uncommon for dive shops to contaminate the inner filter with lubricant, thus destroying its function and markedly reducing its performance at depth.

Great regs! Underrated.
But I don't know if you can still get a replacement piston for that model.
 
4D29916A-4026-4E06-8911-507C518A4128.jpeg
C72B9BEB-DD5A-4F29-9239-4F40789418B4.jpeg
D44E1D21-50F7-4BCF-B1CB-4F9461E054E3.jpeg
B31C9F7B-6DF0-4A56-892D-98E9E6ACAA87.jpeg
 
Nice! I might have a spare used piston for that one if the bleed isn't working properly. PM me after you check, if you need (and can't find) a new one.
 
I read about the bleeder valve on a very old post on here. I will do that test, however I’m pretty sure it works, lol. When I was in the keys I kept complaining to my buddy that I thought my old BCD was leaking around the dump valve because I kept hearing bubbles behind my head .
 
I used to have that model, but had to buy the modern version as it could no longer be adjusted back to spec. The bleed can get people signaling you’ve got a leak - even when told in the pre-dive brief. Any lifetime warranty it had is dead, I think the old Sherwood company went bust in the mid 00s. The new company didn’t take on the warranty liability.
 
Those match the manual I linked, newer than the bulletin you found. I still use these models. You can buy spares on ebay (kits & stages).

You mentioned swapping the seconds. As per the pics the differences are a roller on the lever and the wider exhaust. I do not think you will notice any performance difference between the pair - I have never noticed it. You can easily swap faceplates, hoses to keep the roller as your primary.
 
I read about the bleeder valve on a very old post on here. I will do that test, however I’m pretty sure it works, lol. When I was in the keys I kept complaining to my buddy that I thought my old BCD was leaking around the dump valve because I kept hearing bubbles behind my head .
You should not be able to hear the bubbles. Most likely those bubbles were from a leaky tank oring.

The bleed produces a very fine stream of bubbles. It is easy to check if it is blocked at home if you have a tank. Pressure up the reg and wipe some soapy water on the black rubber one way valve. You will see the soapy water bubble.

If you have no tank them take the reg to your LDS and have them demonstrate the bubbles.

Actually measuring is a little more complex as noted above.
 

Back
Top Bottom